6 Steps To Creating a Habit and Sticking To It

At the end of the year, I hear from many individuals about their New Year's resolutions, goals, and ambitions. I also hear the opposite of people who consistently fail in achieving their goals. An increasing number of individuals do not make resolutions because they may be falling short in two areas, habit building, and willpower.

Sticking to your goals requires building the right habits and having the willpower to stick to them. In my next article, we will cover the steps you can take to build willpower. Today, let’s review the steps you can take to start building habits that will help you achieve success.

1. Decide on your habit and decide to succeed:

Write down the habit you would like to create and list all of the reasons why, then decide to go after it with everything you've got. The key here is never to allow any exceptions to derail you from your new habit in the forming phase. (First 21 to 45 days) DO NOT LET YOURSELF OFF THE HOOK.

2. Be willing to put in the time:

The length of time it takes to build a new habit is determined by your emotion, willpower, and how bad you want to achieve your goal. The exact number of days in which you will have to force yourself to perform the habit is around 21 to 45 days for it to feel natural to you. Remain focused, and I promise it will become easier.

3. The power of visualization:

Vision boards, daily affirmations, and truly visualizing yourself performing your new habit ALL WORK. The more you envision yourself acting and performing your new habit, the faster the new habit will become automatic in your subconscious.

4. Share, share, and share some more:

Tell others you are going to begin working on a new behavior. Telling others will help keep you disciplined and determined. Do not be afraid to ask them to check in on you from time to time. I like to call them your "Accountability Buddy."

5. Love yourself:

Be patient and reward yourself for your habit-building success; it will only reinforce the habit you are building. After an extended period (usually within 21 to 45 days), you will begin to associate at an unconscious level, the pleasure of reward for the habit.

6. Creating balance & be patient:

Rome was not built in a day. Habits take time and perseverance to create. I cannot tell you how many times I have fallen short and had to start right from the beginning. The point here is that we keep trying. Remember, life is not a race; it is a journey.

Let us know what habit you are looking to create and the potential challenges you anticipate facing.